Rubber or cushion heel for boots or shoes.



(No Model.)

' Patented Oct. 2, I900. F'. W. WHITCHEB.

BUBB EB 0R CUSHION HEEL FOR BOOTS 0R SHOES.

(Application filed Feb. 6, 1899.)

NITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANK W. WHITOHER, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO FRANK W.WHITOHER & 00., OF SAME PLACE.

RUBBER OR CUSHION HEEL FOR BOOTS OR SHOES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 658,970, dated October2, 1900.

Application filed February 6, 1899- Serial No. 704,619. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, FRANK W. WHITOHER,

a citizen of the United States, residing at Boston, in the county ofSuffolk and State of Massachusettahave invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Rubber or Cushion Heels for Boots or Shoes, of which thefollowing is a specification, reference being had therein to theaccompanying drawings.

The invention relates to elastic or cushion heels, such as those whichare frequently applied to boots and shoes for the purpose of affordingrelief to the wearer from the jars and concussion that are incident tothe fall I 5 of the foot upon the ground in Walking.

These heels ordinarily are formed of moderately-soft vulcanizedindia-rubber or caoutchouc, and in securing them in place upon the bootsor shoes use is made of nails or tacks. These are driven partly throughthe material of the rubber heel into the leather of the boot or shoe,and the headed ends thereof remain embedded in the rubber heel. Thenature of the rubber is such that provision must be made for preventingthe headed ends of the nails or tacks from tearing through the rubberheel under the usage that occurs while the said heel is being worn.Otherwise this accident will occur and the nails or tacks willthenceforth be of little or no efficiency in keeping the heel in place.

My invention consists in a cushion-heel composed of rubber or otheryielding or elastic material molded into shape and having 5 embeddedtherein the novel and improved form of means for preventing the securingnails or tacks from pulling or tearing through the said heel, which ishereinafter described, and particularly defined in the claims.

The aims of my invention are in general to provide an improved and novelform of holding means, to facilitate and expedite the application of theholding means in the desired place in the cushion-heel as the latter isbeing made, and thereby to increase the rate of production andcorrespondingly effect an economy in the manufacture of such heels,

lines.

and to provide a form of holding means which shall not act to lessen theelasticity and flexibility of the cushion-heel.

The invention will now be described with reference to the accompanyingdrawings, in which I have illustrated one embodiment thereof. 7

In the said drawings, Figure l is a bottom View of a rubber heel, thewearing-surface thereof being represented. Fig. 2 is a top view thereof,the sheet-metal strip that is embodied therein being represented indotted Fig. 3 is a view in vertical section on the dotted line 3 3 ofFig. 2. Fig. dis a view of the sheet-metal strip detached.

1 designates the heel in its entirety. 2 is the wearing-surface thereoffor contact with the surface Walked on. 3 3 designate a series of holesformed in the said wearing-surface and extending inward from the lattermore or less completely through the substance of the heel. In practice Ipreferably cause the said holes to extend substantially through thethickness of the heel, a very slight thickness of material being left atthe inner ends of the holes. This facilitates the operation of placingand driving the nails or tacks and obviates bulgingof the heel aroundits edge or on the surface thereof in consequence of the displacement ofmaterial of the heel by the nails or tacks when driven. The extent towhich the said holes 3 3 penetrate the body of the heel l is notmaterial so far as the present invention is concerned. The ordinaryrequirements of use will be met if the holes extend into the body of theheel as far as the metallic strip about to be described.

5 designates the metallic strip aforesaid.

It is formed of thin metal and is comparatively narrow. Usually inpractice it is made of sheet metalsuch, for instance, as steelit beingcut or formed therefrom in any well-known manner, as by stamping orpunching it out in the shape shown. lts thinness prevents it from takingthe place of any perceptible amount of the ru bber or other material ofwhich the heel is composed, and

thus the full cushioning effect of the latter is retained unaltered. Itsweight is not noticeable. It may be made highly pliable and yielding andwill then add no perceptible degree of inflexibility or stiffness to theheel. This is in some respects a very important desideratum and directlyaffects the salability of the heel, since dealers and users of the heelfrequently test its qualities before purchasing by bending or doublingit over upon itself and otherwise handling or manipulating it to testits flexibility, yielding qualities, and springiness. When made oftempered spring metal, the strip 5 will add to the liveliness with whichthe heel will flatten out after being flexed, while the softness of theheel will not be lessened at all by its presence. A stiff and inflexiblerubber heel is deemed unsuitable and undesirable by many persons. Beingembedded in the heel adjacent the outer edge thereof the strip 5 has noeffect what-ever upon the central portion of the heel. My improved heelmay be doubled over upon itself or twisted without this being preventedin the least by the presence of the strip 5. It is possible by varyingthe thickness and stiffness of the strip to secure any desired degree offlexibility, and thus the heel may be rendered as stiff as may be deemedproper in order to meet special requirements. On account of its locationin the heel adjacent to the edge thereof the strip 5 will act with atendency to prevent the said edge from springing away at any place fromthe surface to which the heel is applied, and thus opening a crackbetween the said surface and the heel. Preferably the strip 5 willcorrespond in outside or edge contour with the edge contour of the heel,and in its entirety will have a U shape, as shown. It is narrow, sinceonly a slight width is required to be possessed by the same in order toenable it to perform its function of holding the nail-heads or tackheadsfrom pulling through the heel, and in order to dispose of excess ofmaterial, lighten the strip, and increase its flexibility portions ofthe said strip may be punched out, as at 6 6, intermediate the placeswhere the nails or tacks pass through the strip. 7 7 designate the holesin strip 5, through which the bodies of the nails or tacks pass, thesaid holes 7 7 registering with the holes 3 3 in the material of theheel.

The holes 3 3 are formed in the body of the heel by the aid of pinsprojecting into the interior of the hollow mold in which the heel isformed. In making the heel one or more layers of unvulcanized and softrubber will be introduced and pressed down into the mold, this layer orlayers making a part only of the thickness of the completed heel. Thestrip 5 next is introduced into the mold, being laid upon the said pins,so as to receive the ends of the latter within the holes 7 7. Thisadmits of being quickly and readily performed and effects a veryconsiderable saving when compared with the operation of placing a seriesof detached washers separately one by one upon the ends of therespective pins of the mold, as has been the general practice for manyyears past in the manufacture of rubber heels for the market. Among these-. rious disadvantages which are incident to the use of washers is theliability of failure to place one or more washers upon the correspondingpins, in which event such Washer or washers become displaced in theheel. Sometimes after the washers have all been carefully placed uponthe ends of the pins the expansion of the rubber beneath the same orsome other cause effects a dislodgement of one or more of the same. Thusdisplacement of a washer is of comparatively-frequent occurrence. Thisdisplacement may result in so positioning the washer that the holethereof will be out of line with the corresponding hole 3 in the body ofthe heel, in which event it will be impossible to drive the nail or tackthrough the washer. The point of the nail or tack will at such timestrike the imperforate portion of the washer, if, in fact, it engageswith the washer at all. The displacement of the washer in some casescauses it to appear at the surface of the heel, either on the top or atthe edge, which necessitates discarding the heel as imperfect andunsalable. When as a consequence of misplacement a Washer becomeslocated at the top surface of the heel, it loses its value as ameans ofassisting in securing the rubber heel to a boot or shoe. A good manyheels are discarded in the course of manufacture as imperfect on accountof misplacement of the washers therein, with resulting loss to themanufacturer.

After the strip has been introduced in proper position, as aforesaid,the filling of the mold with rubber is completed and then pressure andheat are applied.

I claim as my invention 1. The solid-rubber or cushion heel having thenail or tack receiving holes 3, 3, formed therein, and also havingembedded in the material thereof adjacent its outer edge the thin,narrow, flexible U-shaped metal strip 5 corresponding in outlinesubstantially to the contour of the heel and having the holes 7, 7,registering with holes 3, 3, the said strip preventing the securingnails or tacks from drawing through the heel.

2. The solid-rubber or cushion heel having the nail or tack receivingholes 3 3 formed therein, and also having embedded in the materialthereof adjacent its outer edge the thin, narrow, flexible and resilientU -shaped metal strip 5, corresponding in outline substantially to thecontour of the heel and having the holes 7 7 registering with the holes3 3, the said strip preventing the securing nails or tacks from drawingthrough the heel.

IIO

3. lhe solid=rubber 0i' c'ushi0n heel having curing nails or tacks fromdrawing through the nail or tack receiving holes formed therethe heel.mo in, and also having embedded in the material In testimony whereof Iaffix my signature thereof adjacent its outer edge, the thin, narinpresence of 'two WliDBSSOS.

5 row, flexible metal strip corresponding in out- FRANK W. VVHITOHER.

line substaniially to the contour of the heel Witnesses: and havingholes registering with the holes CHAS. F. RANDALL,

in the heel, the said strip preventing the se- WM. A. MAOLEOD.

